|
|
Photo
of Newgulf in its productive heyday
Courtesy
Wharton County Historical Museum |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The Texas
Gulf Sulphur Company built the town in 1928 - before most of Wharton county
had paved roads. Named by contest (open to employees only), Newgulf was comprised
of 400 one, two, and three bedroom houses that were leased to employees. The town
even had its own downtown - a single four-lane road with essential businesses
on either side, including a movie theater.
The
town had its own post office and the company provided a hospital, library, school,
and golf course. The population of Newgulf was 1,586 in 1940 - the highest it
would ever be. The semi-isolated community was a world unto itself - and residents
developed into a very close-knit community - seldom venturing out - even to still-developing
Boling - just 3 miles away.
The year Newgulf
"opened" an independent school district was formed with three schools. Iago, Texas
and Newgulf each had elementary schools, and Boling
hosted the region's high school. After WWII
Newgulf began to decline as the demand for sulphur deceased. Texas Gulf Sulphur
built new plants and local employees were laid off. |
Company houses
were first sold to "civilian" buyers in the early 60s. More efficient mining practices
led to further layoffs and for the 1980 census there were just under 1,000 residents.
Only 100 houses remained by 1990 and residents did more of their shopping in Wharton.
The clubhouse and golf course continued in operation but in 1993 the post office
closed and the Newgulf school merged with the Boling
school. The mine
site continued to maintain a skeleton crew through the 1990s but today Newgulf
and its landmark twin smokestacks are included in the long list of Texas ghost
towns. |
| Photo
courtesy Lauren Meyers, 2006 |
Historical
Marker Texas Gulf
Sulphur Company-NewgulfThe
Gulf Sulphur Company began in Matagorda County in 1909, and in 1918 changed its
name to Texas Gulf Sulphur Company. A plant was built at the Big Hill Dome, and
the first sulphur was produced in 1919. A company town was created and named Gulf,
Texas. New reserves of sulphur were acquired in Wharton County. When the Texas
Gulf Sulphur Company began operations on the Boling Dome in 1928, a new company
town was established named Newgulf. The town contained businesses, more than 350
homes, a school, library, hospital, movie house, golf course and county club.
Baptist, Methodist, Catholic and Presbyterian churches built sanctuaries. Newgulf
Post Office began service in October 1928 and ended service in March 1994.
Texas
Gulf Sulphur Company produced in excess of 80.8 million long tons of Sulphur from
the Boling Dome, to make it the largest sulphur production mine in the world,
Texas Gulf was acquired by a French petrochemical corporation in 1981. Sulphur
production ceased in 1993, and the town of Newgulf was dismantled; it was among
the last company towns to exist in Texas.
(1996)
|
 |
Texas
Gulf Sulphur Company-Newgulf Historical Marker
in the Wharton County Historical
Museum
Courtesy
Wharton County Historical Museum |
Loading
sulphur into hopper cars by railroad crane
Courtesy
Wharton County Historical Museum |
Book
Hotel Here > Wharton Hotels
| More Hotels Newgulf,
Texas Forum Subject:
Remembering Newgulf
I WAS RAISED IN NEWGULF. I WAS BORN IN WHARTON IN
1946, MY PARENTS BONNIE JOHNS O'NEAL AND FATHER LL O'NEAL, JR BOTH GRADUATED FROM
BOLING HIGH SCHOOL. THEY LIVED IN OLD GULF AND WENT TO SCHOOL THERE AND WHEN NEWGULF
OPENED UP THEY MOVED. MY GRANDFATHERS BOTH WORKED FOR TEXAS GULF SULPHUR. EVERYONE
IN MY FAMILY DID. NEWGULF WAS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO GROW UP IN. IT WAS SO
COOL BECAUSE YOU NEVER HAD LOCK YOUR DOORS, HOLLOWEEN WAS MORE FUN NO PROBLEMS,
HOLIDAYS WERE GREAT , CHRISTMAS THEY DID LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER TOWNS BECAUSE WE
DECRATED OUR FRONT DOORS AND HAD PRIZES.
OUR FRIENDS WE HAD WERE VERY
CLOSE. THERE WERE ONLY 3 CHURCHES IN NEWGULF, CATHOLIC IN WHAT WE CALLED MEXICAN
TOWN, BAPTIST CHURCH NEXT TO THE ELEMTARY SCHOOL, AND THE METHODIST CHURCH NEXT
TO THE LIBRARY.
OUR LITTLE TOWN HAD A HOSPITAL WITH TWO DOCTORS THAT
I REMEMBER. DR. SIMONS, AND JOHNSON. IT WAS A GOOD HOSPITAL, AND THE DOCTORS AND
NURSES WHERE GREAT.
THE HOUSES YOU SHOW WERE NOT BUILT UNTIL SOMETIME
IN THE LATE 50'S THE HOUSES WE ALL LIVED IN WERE WOOD FRAME HOUSE WELL BUILT AND
WELL TAKEN CARE OF BY THE COMPANY. I KNOW WE LIVED IN 3 HOUSES IN NEWGULF UNTIL
WE MOVED IN 1963 TO WHARTON. ON OUR STREET WHICH WAS AVE. H THE 1ST HOUSE CLOSE
TO DOWN TOWN ON THE LEFT WAS MY GRANDPARNETS THE JOHNS, YOU CAME DOWN ABOUT 5
BLOCKS THE 1ST HOUSE ON RIGHT WAS OUR THE ONEALS, WHICH WAS THE HOUSE MY DAD LIVED
IN WHEN THEY MOVED FROM OLD GULF, AND AT THE END OF THAT BLOCK ON THE RIGHT WAS
MY AUNT AND UNCLE THE STAFFA'S MY WHOLE FAMILY LIVED ON THE STREET. HOW GREAT
IS THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU WHEN MY AUNT DIED THERE WERE SOME OF US TALKING
ABOUT GROWING UP IN NEWGULF AND WHAT A WONDERFUL THING IT WAS. YES , WE HAD 2
GROCERY STORES, AT ONE TIME THERE WAS A SHOW, PHARMACY, BARBER SHOP AND BEAUTY
SHOP, DRY CLEANERS, 2 PLACES YOU COULD BUY CLOTHES AND SHOES, AND OTHER THINGS.
LATER THERE WAS A CAFE BUILT. THEN WE HAD A PLACE FOR THE KIDS TO GO WHERE WE
COULD GET HAMBURGERS, AND THE WORKS, JUKE BOX AND ALL GOOD THINGS. 3 SERVICE STATIONS.
THE GOLF COURSE WAS REALLY GREAT. MY GRANDFATHER JOHNS MADE A HOLE IN ONE AT THE
COURSE.
MY MOTHER KNOWN BETTER AS BILLYE O'NEAL AND MY AUNT ELLEN STAFFA
WORKED FOR THE COMPANY ALSO. YOU SAID WE DID NOT GO ANY WHERE WELL WHEN THE TOWN
WAS FIRST BUILT I GUESS SO. BUT WE WENT TO HOUSTON ALL THE TIME, AND TO WHARTON
ALSO. AFTER WAR WWII IT SEEMS THAT PEOPLE GOT OUT MORE AND WE DID A LOT MORE.
THERE ARE A LOT MORE I COULD SAY BUT THIS IS ENOUGH FOR NOW. AND I HOPE YOU DO
READ IT. IN OUR FAMILY THERE IS ONLY MY COUSIN GENE STAFFA, JR AND MY SELF BONNIE
MARIE ONEAL BUCEK LEFT.
I THINK IT IS NECESSARY TO SAY WHILE MY FATHER
NEVER HAD A BOY, HE WAS BIG INTO BOY SCOUTS. THE BOY SCOUTS FROM NEWGULF IN THE
50'S WENT TO WASHINGTON, DC TO THE JAMBOREE. THAT TO ME WAS IMPORTANT. MY MOTHER
WAS BIG IN THE GIRL SCOUTS. THANK YOU - BONNIE ONEAL BUCEK, COLLEGE STATION, December
20, 2006
Related
Topics:
Texas
Town List | Texas Ghost Towns
| Texas | Texas
Hotels |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. | |
| Book Hotel Here
- Expedia
Affiliate Network | |
